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Outreach Programs

Students Engaged in Outreach and Mentoring

Inclusion Agents -- Undergraduate engineering students serve as Inclusion Agents. These students enhance their own educational experience through this service-learning program. As budding engineers these students promote the STEM fields by engaging and inspiring young people by sharing stories of their personal STEM journeys and by leading hands-on learning opportunities. A key element of this engagement is to provide role models for students to see a variety of identities represented who are further along the STEM path. This also provides concrete experience for teachers to envision diverse students as potential engineers

Student Ambassadors -- College of Engineering student ambassadors are selected through a highly-competitive process to assist the Director of Engineering Admissions and First-Year Experience. The student ambassadors share their experiences with prospective students and their parents, give tours of the college, host Explore Engineering@Iowa programs, attend Hawkeye Visit Days, etc. The student ambassadors also serve as a resource for current students.

WISE Peer Mentors – In the Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) peer mentoring program upper-level women with STEM majors mentor first-year women pursuing similar STEM majors through one-on-one sessions, team meetings, and professional development workshops. Mentors apply for their positions, are interviewed, and through an in-depth matching system are paired with an incoming first-year student with a similar STEM major. This is a year-long program which requires mentees to apply for a mentor and pay a fee to participate.

Contributions of Student Organizations Outreach

Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Ambassadors WISE Ambassadors is a UISG student organization open to students in STEM majors (undergraduate, graduate, and professional) provides K‑12/community outreach opportunities and professional development programming for women across all STEM disciplines. Annual activities include hosting blood drives, organizing Girl Scout Badge Day, volunteering at Ronald McDonald House and Hope Lodge, judging science fairs, and working with Habitat for Humanity on Women Build houses. The Ambassadors also host STEM exploration programs for school groups each academic year, both in the schools and on-campus. These programs are developed based on the type of service requested and the target population.

MESA – Multi-Ethnic Engineering and Science Association. The MESA students run the MESA Tutoring Program. MESA tutoring is a service for students traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields who request additional support with homework and classwork. Our study skills program is designed to help kids in grades 5-12 build great habits, necessary skills, complete assignments, and receive additional mentoring and support. Even if your child is a really good student, we’ve found that establishing great study habits early is the secret to making a big impact in school, from higher grades to greater confidence. Students can get help with specific subject areas (Mathematics, English, Science, and Social Sciences) or with general study skills such as homework management, organization, and test preparation. MESA Tutoring is hosted by the Multi-Ethnic Engineering and Science Association (MESA) and partners with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) student organizations. The program collaborates with the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD). The program is coordinated and funded by the College of Engineering.

NSBE – National Society of Black Engineers – NSBE hosts Black Girls Do Science. Black Girls Do Science is a one-day program encouraging underrepresented girls in 4th-8th grades to pursue a career in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field.

SHPE – Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers – SHPE hosts Noche de Ciencias (science night). Noche de Ciencias is a national program established in 2008 by the SHPE Foundation to promote knowledge and interest in STEM among the Hispanic community. The goal of the Noche de Ciencias Program is to inspire Hispanic youth to pursue STEM degrees and careers. Noche de Ciencias is usually a 2-hour event hosted by the University of Iowa Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) student organization that include hands-on STEM activities designed for K-12 students; a STEM Panel, a college presentation for students, and two bilingual parent workshops on college and education costs, and how to help their child (ren) go to college.

SWE – Society of Women Engineers – At the SWE high school conference, the UI SWE student chapter hosts high school junior and senior students on the University of Iowa campus in the College of Engineering for hands on engineering activities. The Society of Women Engineers team also has participation from Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), faculty and community volunteers.

AICHE – American Institute of Chemical Engineers – AICHE hosts two day camps annually, typically a Halloween day camp in the fall and an Earth Day day camp in the spring, for young children (typically, kindergarten through 4th grade) to expose the children to science and engineering.

UI Robotics Club —The UI Robotics club is a comprehensive organization focused on robotics and FIRST. The purpose of the University of Iowa Robotics Club is to further student education and provide a medium through which students and community members can develop their skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The aim of this club is to compete in various robotics competitions, and to give back to the robotics community through mentoring and volunteering with FIRST teams and/or other STEM-based programs, including non-profits. This club will function as an all-encompassing robotics club where members may compete, volunteer, mentor, or learn.

FIRST Alumni Organization -- The FIRST Alumni Organization brings together students who participated in the FIRST program while in high school and are willing to give back to the FIRST community through mentoring and volunteering at FIRST events.